Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Tuesday Venezuela would likely sever relations with Israel in protest over Israel's military campaign against Lebanon.Chavez, a harsh critic of the United States who frequently expresses sympathy for the Palestine people, announced last week he had ordered the withdrawal of Venezuela's ambassador in Israel.Israel withdrew its chief diplomat in Caracas in response."We have withdrawn our diplomatic representation from the state of Israel and they have also withdrawn their ambassador," ... http://www.alertnet.org

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has asked to meet with China's state-sanctioned labor group after employees formed unions at five stores in a campaign to unionize all of its 60 Chinese outlets, the labor group and a state news agency said Wednesday. The request for talks with the All-China Federation of Trade Unions was Wal-Mart's first public step in response to the union votes over the past two weeks. No date has been set for a meeting, said Li Jianming, an ACFTU spokesman. He declined to say what Wal-Mart asked to discuss. Phone calls to spokespeople at Wal-Mart's China headquarters weren't answered. The official Xinhua News Agency quoted the vice president of Wal-Mart China, Li Chengjie, as saying it wants to cooperate with the ACFTU "in a more effective and harmonious way." ...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/09/business/main1880107.shtml?source=RSS&attr=World_1880107

Police on Wednesday searched a state senator's home for evidence in the investigation of a teenage neighbor who was killed with a gun belonging to the lawmaker. State police would not say specifically what they were looking for and the warrant was sealed. Police and state Sen. Bob Regola confirmed the 14-year-old boy was shot last month with Regola's gun, but tests to determine whether the boy shot himself accidentally or on purpose, or was shot by someone else, were still pending Wednesday. No charges had been filed. The boy had a key to Regola's house and had been caring for the senator's dogs at the time of the shooting. He was last seen the night of July 21 and was found by his father the next morning in woods behind Regola's home. ...http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6004623,00.html

The war in Lebanon and northern Israel should not distract attention from events in Gaza, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has warned. The killing of civilians, including children, in Gaza was "utterly unjustifiable", his spokesman said. Three people died in an Israeli strike on Wednesday, including a little girl. Israel began operations in Gaza on 28 June after the capture of its soldier, Cpl Gilad Shalit. Palestinians say more than 170 people have been killed. On Wednesday Mr Annan expressed fears that the war in Lebanon and northern Israel could overshadow events in Gaza and "the urgent need to work towards a solution to the current crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory". "The continued killing and injuring of hundreds of civilians, including children, in Gaza, by Israeli forces is utterly unjustifiable," spokesman Stephane Dujarric added. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4778255.stm

Gov. Frank Murkowski imposed a state hiring freeze Wednesday because of the millions of dollars in revenue Alaska is losing as a result of the Prudhoe Bay oil field shutdown, and said he would support hearings into BP's maintenance practices.The governor also said he would direct Alaska's attorney general to investigate whether the state could hold the oil giant fully accountable for the state's losses.Earlier this week, BP said it would shut down Prudhoe Bay -- the biggest oil field in the nation -- because of a small leak and severe pipeline corrosion. Energy officials have said the pipeline repairs are likely to take months, curtailing Alaskan production into next year.The expected loss of 400,000 barrels per day at today's oil prices means the state is losing about $6.4 million a day in royalties and taxes, Revenue Commissioner Bill Corbus said....http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/09/oil.alaska.ap/index.html?section=cnn_us

"Zero tolerance" discipline policies that are enforced widely in U.S. schools are backfiring: They may be promoting misbehavior and making students feel more anxious, the American Psychological Association (APA) said Wednesday.The group called for more flexibility and common sense in applying the policies, reserving zero tolerance for the most serious threats to school safety. Zero-tolerance policies spread in the 1990s as a tool to fight drug use and violence on campuses. Schools often suspend or expel students for having weapons or drugs, which can include over-the-counter medicine, says educational psychologist Cecil Reynolds of Texas A&M University. Verbal threats, fighting or sexual harassment also can get kids booted, he says. "There are cases such as the kindergarten boy who hugged two classmates. His teacher reported him for sexual harassment, and he was suspended."...http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-08-09-zero-tolerance_x.htm?csp=34